Touch the Sky Revamped!
by Roydigs22
Summary: A retelling of the beloved story of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. A tale of Friendship and Adventure, filled with twists and turns!
1. Chapter 1

As I recall my now-defeated Pokemon, I play back the events of my journey so far. I look at the 4 dimmed pokeballs on my belt, and the one in my hand. Then I look at the opposing Pokemon glaring at me. It's been severely weakened. And it took 5 of my team members to bring it down that far. Cleopatra, sweeper of the Veilstone and Pastoria City Gyms. She took Maylene and Wake down with no help whatsoever. Not even a Potion. Ace, who cleared out Fantina and her Ghosts with his Normal typing, whose egg I received from the very trainer standing across from me. Ryu, the brave fighter who annihilated Byron and Candice. Jet, the hyperactive goof, who cleared house with Flint and Bertha. Skippy, who provided unpredictable support when sweeping became an impossibility. And now… It all comes down to him. He started this journey with me, and one way or another, he will end it. My fingers tighten around the sixth pokeball. My starter, and my most trusted friend. He beat Roark when none of the others could touch him, and he breezed past Volkner's whole team, shaking the world as he did so. I blink the tears out of my eyes, and take a deep breath.

"It's all you, buddy. We just need one hit. You're bulky, you're defensive, and you hit like a bulldozer. You can do this… Come on, Sequoia!"

I toss the pokeball, and my hope is revived for a moment as the Torterra inside emerges with a triumphant roar. This is a familiar sight, but I am reassured by the confidence he has. Sequoia has carried the team since the beginning. He is my last hope.  
"This is it, my friend! For everyone who's made it this far! End it with an Earthquake!"

My opponent waves her finger at me.  
"Sorry, kid. But this ends here. Garchomp, Flamethrower!"

I watch intensely as the Dragon inhales, before breathing out a large mote of fire. Sequoia raises his foot, and is about to bring it down when the flames engulf him.

_It's a Critical Hit!_

I hear a tremendous thud, and for a moment, I believe it's done. Then the flames clear, and my heart sinks. My great champion, my last hope, lies defeated on the ground. That's it. It's over. All that work, everything we've done… all for nothing. I recall Sequoia and fall to my knees.

The champion walks over to me, smiles sympathetically, and offers me a hand.  
"Come on, kid. It was a real close fight, I'll give you credit for that. Tell you what, I'll heal my team up, and I'll fly you back to Twinleaf."

I take her hand, stand up, and she walks me down to the Pokemon center. She goes over to the nurse, and hands over her pokeballs. I simply sit down on the bench and wait, trying desperately to ignore the looks from the other trainers. At first, it's confusion. They want to know why I'm not healing my party. And then it clicks. I start to hear murmurs. I hear them speak, talking about what they saw on the screen. And hearing it hurts. The champion finishes getting her team healed up, and she walks over to me. I guess that means it's time to go. The two of us walk out the door, to the top of the waterfall, and she calls out her Togekiss. We hop on, and it takes to the sky.

As we fly, I start seeing some familiar places, evoking memories, happy and sad at the same time. Not too far in, I see Veilstone city. Cleopatra made Maylene feel… well, pretty Thunderstruck, I'd say. Shortly after that, Mount Coronet and Hearthome City. I managed to exploit Fantina's Ghost types, and made it through scot-free. As we pass to the south of the mountain, I see Spear Pillar in the distance, on the mountaintop. There, we leapt into the Distortion World to fight against Cyrus for the final time. Once we pass the great mountain, My eyes pass over Oreburgh City. This was where my journey truly began. Finally, we pass over Jubilife, Sandgem, and finally descend to Twinleaf. Cynthia drops me off in front of my house. I enter without so much as a word to my mother. Drained from the events of today, I walk up to my room, and lie down on my bed. My failure is all that I can think about. I could have done something. I could have done better. If only I could see them again…

_A few hours later, Johanna's POV_

Dinner smells pretty good. It's about done, so I suppose I had better call him down.  
"Kiddo? Dinner's ready!"

I don't get a response after a few minutes. The soup is done (Kalosian Onion), so I ladle it into a bowl and figure I'll just leave it on his nightstand. He might be asleep, after all. After setting my bowl at my usual spot, I glance at the TV. His challenge was on earlier, so I saw what happened. I honestly couldn't believe it. He had come so far, done so well… I can understand why he's in such a bad state. Perhaps tomorrow I can talk to him about it. Maybe I can help ease the pain he feels. I know what happened to him, from experience no less. I walk over to the stairs. On the walk up, I take note of a few squeaky steps. I really gotta fix those. When I get to his room, I scan the room before my eyes snap to one particular thing. My mind is entirely focused on what's in front of me. Something no parent ever wants to see. I take a few slow steps forward as my mind starts to blur. I'm vaguely aware of a small ceramic crash at my feet, and then a very hot feeling shortly after, but I'm too shocked to care.  
"No… Arceus, No…"


	2. Chapter 2

At first, I'm not aware of anything. Everything seems empty. Then I start to come to. The first thing I become aware of is my arms. They have a pins-and-needles feeling to them, and I can barely nudge them without tremendous effort. So those might be stuck for another several minutes. The next part of me to wake up is my legs. They're straight out on the floor, or whatever odd I happen to be laying on. Then my upper torso starts to regain feeling. Well, now I know where my arms are. That's good. After what seems like another minute or so, I regain feeling in my lower torso, and eventually my face. I don't open my eyes immediately, but I do notice something else fairly quick.  
"Arceus, my neck… It's killing me."

After a few moments of trying and failing to move, I finally get my arms off my chest. They fall to the ground very quickly, and land on what vaguely feels like solid ground. Alright, maybe I should open my eyes. I force my eyes open with a large amount of effort… and that doesn't help at all. The area around me is a strange, iridescent miasma of all the colors of the rainbow, with a peculiar, warping stripe of white at what looks like it would be eye level if I were actually standing. I tilt my head further down, and see the floor is a similarly bizzare chromatic vortex. Well, isn't that fantastic? At this point, I'm wondering if I should even bother trying to make sense of it. The good news is, my arms are completely awake, and I can start putting things together. The colorful floor, contrary to what I initially assumed, feels like a strange mix of marble tile and wooden flooring. I suppose I was expecting it to feel like a mix of a cushion, paint, and… I don't know, grass? Well, at this point, my arms are back to normal, so I prop myself up best I can.

"Alright, making progress…"

Now I can see the area in front of me, and I notice something interesting. The shifting white ribbon extends around me in all directions, in a sort of fence. So I guess this place is limited in size. At least if I have to explore, I'm not gonna be wandering endlessly in a futile struggle to find an exit. With that slight mood boost in mind, I bend my knees and attempt to stand up. I'm somewhat successful in aligning myself on the y-axis, but I have to shake my arms to stay upright.

"Whoa… come on, I know I'm capable of basic motor skills. This is just embarrassing."

A short while later, my legs fully regain function and feeling, and I can stand without much conscious effort. Now that I'm able to move like normal, I start taking in my environment with more than my eyes. As my hands fall to my side, I am made keenly aware that all of my gear is gone. For that matter, so are my scarf, my hat, and my coat. My feet are bare, and all I have on me is a simple white t-shirt and black athletic shorts. The air is fairly warm and humid. Feels kinda like the atmosphere of Valor Lakefront. Odd, but fairly comfortable. Eager to find something that could help me place myself, I start walking towards the shifting white ribbon off in the distance. My feet fall silently in this bizarre place, and as I press on, I can't help but notice that the stripe doesn't seem to be getting larger or closer. Perhaps this plane truly is infinite? As I ponder this peculiar problem, I get knocked on my back after ricocheting off an unseen barrier.

"Ow… what the…?"

I stand back up and walk forwards, until I'm just about where I was. At first glance, it seems to be pure empty space. I start looking for things I could have missed, which is when I notice something odd. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something flickering. I turn my head, and the flickering disappears… and then the area I was just looking at starts flickering as well. Slowly, I turn my head back, and sure enough, the flicker effect starts moving as well. Hesitantly, I move my hand forward. It comes to a sudden stop when it's almost all the way out from my shoulder, and a small ripple forms, making the form of the barrier obstructing me visible. It looks like… a tile? I run my hand along the wall. It feels similar to the barrier created by a Reflect, actually. How strange. I move my hand further to the side, where the barrier continues. Curious, I nudge the barrier with more force. This time, the ripple goes a few tiles out. Intrigue piqued, I draw back and give the barrier a hearty punch. The ripple moves outward, and I watch it grow in size, before reaching its peak, and shrinking a few hundred yards away. So the dome does have a limit. Looks like my initial hypothesis was right. So now I need to figure out how to escape. Based on the knowledge I have available, I have 3 options. One, I can strike it rapidly, hoping so many ripples cause a disruption in the dome. Two, I can wait it out like an actual Reflect barrier. Three, I can try a large amount of force concentrated into a single point, akin to a Brick Break. Guess I'll try the pummels. I'm no fighting type, but I can throw enough punches to be considered fast. I go as ham as possible, throwing as many strikes as I can. The ripples are fairly severe, but alas, the wall remains intact. Time for the localized force strategy. I draw back, concentrate, and strike as hard as I can with the edge of my hand. And… absolutely nothing. Great. So now I suppose I'll just sit and see what happens. Turns out, I don't have to wait that long.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm in the middle of pondering my current situation and planning how I'm going to get out of it when I hear something. At first, I'm not quite convinced my mind isn't playing tricks on me. It wouldn't be too far-gone to make the assumption that I'm imagining it. It's a voice. No mistaking that, but… is it actually another being, or am I going insane? The voice speaks again.

"Hello? Are you here?"  
The voice is feminine. That much I can discern, but not much else. Out of curiosity, I respond.

"Yeah, I'm here. And I have a lot of questions to boot."  
This time, when the voice responds, I pay close attention.

"I am certain that you do. And perhaps all will be answered. Perhaps not."

Rather infuriating, especially since I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON.

"How fascinating. Please regale me more with your incredible knowledge that you apparently have no intent of sharing."  
Wrong thing to say, apparently.

"Do. Not. Speak to me in such a manner."  
This time, the voice sounds like a… It sounds like an angry mother. With that in mind, I address it as such.

"Whatever you say, Ma. So if I may ask… What is going on?"

The voice chuckles a little bit, so I guess I'm making some progress. Successful Charisma check, maybe? Well, it's certainly better than nothing. I'll take it.

"If you insist, child. Some situational context is most certainly in order, so I suppose I can… regale you… as you put it."

I sit down, crisscross, as the voice clears its throat. Looks like storytime is about to begin.

"To summarize, you're about to enter a world completely foreign to you. A world inhabited solely by pokémon. Now, before you jump into some speech about being a human and sticking out, that does bring us to the main point of being here. So, I have some questions for you to answer."

This makes me sit up straight and snap to attention.

"Nobody ever told me there was going to be a pop quiz!"

The voice laughs out loud. My face goes flush red as I wait for the voice to calm down. Once it finishes the laughing fit that I apparently caused, it gets back a serious, businesslike tone.

"Don't worry. This isn't a quiz, so much as it is a questionnaire. There aren't any right or wrong answers, so just be honest, and go with what feels right. With that in mind, why don't we get to the actual questions? First… you enter your hotel room, and your bed is gigantic and comfortable. What's your first reaction?"

"Jump on it. Definitely jump on it."

"Okay, you answered that one really quick. Next rather fast… Next question. You're out in public, and you see someone doing something bad. What would you do?"

"Call them out on it, possibly get physical."

"I suppose that's a logical leap. Alright, now… performing in front of others, perhaps like Karaoke, or acting… do you enjoy it?"

This question practically makes me leap up to my feet. Scratch that, it actually does make me leap to my feet.  
"Oh, definitely! Especially rock music!"

The voice giggles again. It looks like at least I'm not going to get smited by an unseen force. At least not today.

"Well, at least you're consistent. Alright… You're at a movie theater. What are you there to see?"

Without so much as skipping a beat, I answer.  
"Action movie. Definitely an action movie. Undeniably an action movie."

"Noted, Got it, of course. You are incredibly snarky, you know that?"

"I may have been told once or twice. Or several times. Anyways, The next question?"

"Right, let's… Oh, Arceus, what's that thing behind you?!"

I chuckle at this. Her startled tone was just too funny.  
"Come on. Does anyone ever fall for that trick?"

"I work with what I have. It's not the best material, but the reactions diverge significantly."

"Fair. What's next?"

"You're exploring some ancient ruins when you see an old, decrepit chest. What would you do?"

"You kidding? Open it! Who knows what could be in there? Gems, Doubloons, Evolutionary stones…"

"Of course. That's what most people would do, after all."

"Why wouldn't they? They could become rich, or famous!"

"Yeah, that is the usual train of thought people follow. They all think alike, it seems."

"Rich and famous is something everyone wants to be."

"We're getting off topic. Let's continue."

"Right, sorry about that."

"Pay it no mind. Now… Have you ever been in a heated conversation, and accidentally blurted out something without thinking?"

My face turns a bit red.  
"Maybe once or twice. Or several times. Perhaps more than I care to admit."

"Well, at least you can admit it happens. A lot of people deny it, and it gets them in trouble once the truth gets to them. With that in mind… I believe I'm ready to render a decision."

Despite the fact that it looks pretty obvious how this'll go, I decide to hold my breath. You know, for suspense.

"Well… from what I have, you seem to be a pinnacle of snark and wit. However, you're also fairly honest. So, with all that in mind, I believe that you would be best suited to a- one moment please."

I nod. Not sure what cut her off, but it must be important.

"Wait… this is him? What do you mean, we already decided?! I just did the whole thing already! Disregard the results? Fine, but you owe me one after this… Got it. Right."  
The voice sighs and turns its attention back to me.  
"Thanks for waiting. Apparently you were decided a while ago. At very least, it's what you would have gone as to begin with. With that in mind, I think we're done here. So… Good luck to you. You'll meet others in this journey who will aid you. If things get tough, you can always look to them."

I manage to nod before a wave of exhaustion sweeps through me. I'm unable to keep myself awake, and I collapse to the floor as everything fades out.


End file.
